J.W. Lees Harvest Ale (Port Cask) | J.W. Lees & Co (Brewers) Ltd

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Appearance: The Port cask version of this was a touch darker than the Sherry cask version (although I didnt compare them side-to-side), with a plummy, oxblood-like coloring. It poured with a similar, beige-foam, sticky head, that lasted well-through the glass.

Smell: The Port was a little less aggressive than the Sherry, but still noticeable in the aroma. Im not familiar with Willoughbys Ports, and I dont think crusted port is a regulated age statement, but this contributed some pruney, raisiny notes to the bouquet, while being less assertively fruity than the Sherry was. The expected Lees malty, yeasty notes were also detectable, meshing nicely with the Port.

Taste: Slightly less sweet than the Sherried version on the tongue, it allowed a bit more of the hoppy tang to peek through. The nuttiness is also more apparent, which complements the Port excellently. It also allows the toasted, biscuit-like malt to come through. The finish is long, warming, and fruity.

Mouthfeel: Again, this is an ale with an extremely heavy, viscous body. Carbonation is surprisingly good for such a heavy ale, but never overpowers what this ale is really about: malt and fruit.

Drinkability: Another fine ale that combines a high ABV, complex flavors, and a heavy body in a package that is highly drinkable, if not in great quantity, at least in desirability. Any of these limited-edition beers would be a superb accompaniment to a cheese platter or a fine cigar.

Backwash: Another example of remarkable craftsmanship, this is a beer that can hold its head high in ANY company. It conjures up visions of the English Borders, roaring fires in massive stone fireplaces,.and a damp dog at ones feet. Likely to improve greatly with further cellaring and well worth the effort to find.

More User Reviews:

2003 vintage. Perfect pumpkin orange topped by a compact beige crown that doesn't come anywhere near the top edge of the snifter. These 275 ml bottles barely wet my whistle. The foam has some creaminess, and a few shards of lace reach the glass, but the appearance is more good than impressive.

The same can be said for the nose. It's starting out on the chilly side, so let's see what happens once it gains a few degrees. The beer smells moderately caramel malty and is wonderfully fruity. Too bad the port cask aging isn't immediately obvious.

Good old J.W. Lee's Harvest Ale never lets me down. Forgot appearance, forget aroma, it's flavor that matters most. This version delivers just like the Sherry Cask version did. I'm not sure how long these classic English barleywines hold up, but 5 years of rest has done wonders for this little beauty.

Such a riot of flavor! Each sip is a muted explosion of deliciousness that is hard to fully wrap one's taste buds around before the finish of the finish arrives. The flavor profile includes toffee pudding, golden brown sugar, candied figs, candied cherries, raisins, sugared pecans and a splash of tawny port. Just like an aged Christmas fruitcake.

The concentrated vinousness of the port is unmistakable on the palate and is what sets this beautiful sipping ale apart. Aging their Harvest Ale in various casks was a stroke of genius. A hint of oxidation lends authenticity and adds much more than it detracts. If there is any beer worth more than 75 cents per ounce, this one is.

The mouthfeel (as with much barrel-aged beer of a certain age) lacks a little fullness. It makes up for it, though, by being velvety, silky smooth and wonderfully sticky on the finish. The understated carbonation is damn near perfect.

Of the four wines and spirits that J.W. Lee's chose to accent their outstanding Harvest Ale, my favorites are (from least to most) sherry, port, Calvados and Lagavulin Scotch. Sherry Cask and Port Cask are spectacular, so the final two should be out of this world.

A: rich brown, almost turning to amber body, creamy whipped egg white head. dissipates quickly, no surprise however at 11.5 % ABV. this beer has a lot of mystique to me and it even looks like a piece of history in my goblet.

T/M: huge rush of heavy, viscous, dense, and oily malt and sugar. very light alcohol spice on the middle tongue. mouthfeel is full bodied, but also concurrently heavy and prickly. provides a nice frame for so much sugar. a hint of coffee on the finish, which dries slightly. grapes, raisons, and cream all over the place. vanilla extract in thier from the wood, butterscotch, and even a bit of tropical fruit. the cask ageing is evident in the maturity of this beer, though so far of the 3 Lees casks Ive had, the Lagavulin has been the most unique and characteristic.

D: extremely sweet, lots o' booze, and even more money make this a special occasion nightcap at best. I love it and think its extremely drinkable when I have it...which is rarely ever. if I could get half a bottle for half the price I would drink this all the time.

My second favorite of the Barrel Aged variants next to the Laguvalin Whiskey Cask. The port added a pleasant sweetness and a slight dryness in mouthfeel to this big beer in a little bottle. Pretty nice.

Beautifully golden-honeyed and clear. Carbonation seen rising in nice straight streams. Not much head, just slight bubbly white foam and then a bit of a ring and just clear. Clean aroma, cannot smell anything at all really. Bit of smooth carbonation, silky and smooth. Fresh and nice, juicy flavors, apricot, orange zest maybe, and hoppiness. Honey sweetness and darkened caramel, yet not cloying. Nice sipper, great flavor with a lot to think about and enjoy. The flavors expand through your mouth and are so enjoyable. Shared this one with my parents who I recently went to a port tasting with, they both really enjoyed it with Mom commenting that she got apricot on the nose with bitter on the tongue.

From a wooden cask sitting behind the bar at Spuytin Duyvil (sp?) in Brooklyn! Pours still, no carbonation , no lacing. Nose is buttery malt and a hint of warm rum. Mouthfeel is smooth and well rounded. Notes of rum, butter, vanilla and more butter, rum and vanilla. Smooth and warming, tasty stuff. A world class after dinner beer, go find some and enjoy!

2014 Vintage. Pours hazy, orange-brown in color with minimal head. Taste is deep caramel, toffee, raisin, port, and alcohol. Sweet and sticky. Really tasty barleywine. My first JW Lees, but I see myself getting several more in the future.

Poured into a short ale glass. An amber, slightly opaque brew, with a dusting of sediment on the bottom. A thin white head, leaves a ring after a few moments. When settled, it looks a great deal like sherry.

Nose is caramel, grapes, sugar, port, a touch of oak.

Tastes and feels just like a glass of sherry. The big caramel and fruit flavor is offset but a smoky, oak backing, which prevents the sweetnes from running away with things. Alcohol is difficult to detect. Very tasty, and with only a slight bite to the finish makes for an enjoyable sipper.

Great stuff, one of the better barleywines I've come across. Would love to check out the older vintages.

2006 vitnage. Poured oily copper, darker than the calvados, with the same sparse ring of bubbles. Again, it was impossible to coax a head out of the beer. A tiny amount of lacing. Caramel and honey in the nose, less fruity, but figs and raisins are present. More oak and vanilla in this one. Much more subtle tastes than the calvados. The grain and malt of the beer show through much better. The alcohol is up front, with the port taking hold in the middle and finish. Somewhat vimuous and fruity, but less sweet. Lovely malt and dried fruit flavors blended nicely with toffee and butterscotch. Less vanilla in the taste, but the oak shines throughout. Same lactic mouthfeel, but less stickiness.

Taste.. I really enjoy the sweetness with the alcohol. Reminds me of strong Bourbon or whiskey with big splash of Pepsi. Grilled plums.maybe over baked sweet potato with brown sugar.Would go great with cigar.

Mouthfeel.. not alot of fizz. Thick,juicey..enjoy!

Overall.. bought one in Birmingham Alabama..my home town..tomorrow I'm going back to buy all they have and ask them to buy more.. will take this punkin next hunting trip with cigar.. Cheers!

Pours a mildly hazy dark copper color with a half-finger off-white head and some floaties. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving light lacing and decent legs.

Smells of sweet caramel malts with good amounts of medium to dark fruits, toffee, and butterscotch.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Sticky caramel malt flavors up front with strong contributions from toffee and butterscotch flavors. Midway through the sip the Port shines through a bit more with sweet and boozy dark fruit flavors. The ending is on the sweet side.

Mouthfeel is very good. It's got a smooth thickness with soft and grainy carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I split the bottle but could have a whole one myself.

Overall this is my second favorite of the three I've had so far behind only the Laguvalin. Well worth a shot.

A-This beer pours a warm reddish-brown body that has a slight haziness to it. The head is a creamy off-white that quickly disappears. No real legs on this beer.

S- This beer has a sweet thick caramel maltyness that has a note of dark fruit and a very faint dark vinous note.

T- This beer has big malty flavors of caramel and sweetness. This beer finishes with a hint of sweet port and some earthiness. As it warms note of honey and lighter flavors start to come out.

M- Medium mouthfeel but a velvety texture that adds a nice compliment to the faint alcohol warmth.

D- This is a wonderful Barley Wine but I think that the port adds a bit to much sweetness to the already sweet B-wine. The others in this limited series all had nice compliments to off set the sweetness but I feel that the port cask adds more sweetness.

A - Light brown yeast sediment swirls and settles slowly in pretty large chunks. Just a wisp of head, not much carbonation evident, small bubbles rise fitfully from the depths. Color is a lovely tawny burnt orange base with reddish overtones. Drops quite clear and inviting.

S - Here is where this beer really excells. Alcohol esters and honey sweetness hit first followed by notes of resiny tar and black cherry. The port undertone is fruity and magnificent.

T - Again we find the black cherry and fruit flavors with the alcohol kick. The "beeriness" reasserts itself in the back end as the hops suddenly show up in a lingering bitter finish.

M - Medium feel, made a little slick by the port sweetness. Not much carbonation left.

O - Quite impressive in appearance and aroma, and the first few sips were intensely enjoyable. However as I worked my way through the glass the complexity diminished somewhat I was left with only the impression of sweetness and fruit. I love port and beer so this was a great combination for a special occasion, but will only be a one time sipper.

Side tasting note: One favorite pairing for port is chocolate. A good dark chocolate and a tawny port both compliment and enhance each other's flavors. This experiment did not work very well for this beer. The chocolate overwhelmed the port character and left a muddled impression.

A- pours a deep reddish burgundy copper color, maintains a thin white ring of head around the glass, very fine lacing is left behind
S- very sweet and honey-like, slight notes of wood and spice
T- sugary sweet from start to finish, a slight hop character in the beginning that resides into a nice dark fruit and wood flavor that really lingers
M- has a thick syrupy start with a heavy carbonation, really coats the pallet
D- very very tasty, but the alcohol shows through just a little so I can't drink them terribly fast, they're also very thick so one is plenty for me in an evening